Ink Review #1488: PenBBS 153 Burning of the White House

PenBBS 153 Burning of the White House is from Season 12 and comes in 60ml bottles. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens. This ink was based on the burning of the White House on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812.

The color:

Burning of the White House is a medium black with gold shimmer.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker than it does in writing.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 20 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and gold shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was a lot feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Burning of the White House is closest to De Atramentis Velvet Black Gold. Click here to see the PenBBS inks together, and click here to see the black inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Purple Cosmos with a zoom nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this ink is pretty well behaved, but I’m not a big fan of the black and gold combo. It’s not an ink I ever really need, but it does perform well.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1487: PenBBS 128 Santorini

PenBBS 128 Santorini is from Season 11 and comes in 60ml bottles. I purchased my sample of ink from Vanness Pens. According to the Vanness website: “This ink is reminiscent of St. Gerasimos Christian Church, the famous blue domed church on the island of Santorini, Greece which is featured on the label.”

The color:

Santorini is a bright ocean blue.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks a bit brighter with some pretty sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 10 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Medium

Other properties: medium shading, low pink sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was a lot feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Santorini is close to Colorverse Supernova. Click here to see the PenBBS inks together, and click here to see the blue inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Pilot Vanishing Point Crossed Lines with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, the color is nice and it dries quickly but there is way too much feathering and bleeding for me, especially when there are so many blue ink colors available. It’s just not the right blue ink for me.

Disclaimer: I purchased this ink myself. All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1486: Colorverse 005 Milky Lavender

Colorverse 005 Milky Lavender is from the Project collection and comes in 65ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Milky Lavender is a medium matte lavender.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks darker than it does in writing.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 40 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Milky Lavender is closest to Troublemaker Foxglove, but it lacks Foxglove’s cool shading. It is pretty close to Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu as well. Click here to see the Colorverse inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Lilac with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a slightly dry flow.

Overall, I could take or leave this ink. It’s a lovely purple color and great for spring but it’s a bit drier than I prefer. There just isn’t anything about it that grabs me. It’s close enough to Pilot Iroshizuku Murasaki-shikibu that I don’t need both and I prefer the wetter flow of Murasaki-shikibu.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1485: Van Dieman's Tasmania Vine Purple

Van Dieman’s Tasmania Vine Purple is from the Colours of Tasmania series and comes in 30ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Vine Purple is a deep blue violet.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks less saturated.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: no shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes but only a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Vine Purple is more blue than Sailor Shigure but not as blue as Noodler’s Kung Te-Cheng. Click here to see the Van Dieman’s inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Lilac with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, the color is nice but there is way too much feathering for me. I would stick to Tomoe River paper with this ink or Cosmo Air Light.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored.

TRU RED Graphed Journal

The TRU RED Graphed Journal is a recent release from TRU RED. It’s designed as a business essential for everyday use. The notebook measures 5.5 by 8 inches. Thanks to TRU RED for providing these products for review! Last week I reviewed the TRU RED Starter Journal and Rollerball pens, congratulations to Batsheva who won the giveaway!

Front Cover:

The front cover is a flexible black cover with an elastic closure.

Inside Cover:

The front inside cover is a black and grey pattern with a small pocked that would easily fit business cards.

The Paper:

There are 256 ivory pages with a 5mm graph ruling.

The pages are not embellished in any way and are not paginated.

Writing Samples:

This paper did not handle fountain pens well-every nib feathered, bled or both. The paper is so absorbent that it made the nib and ink feel super dry and scratchy.

The paper handled some pens and pencils okay but the TRU RED rollerball pens bled through. Some ball-points and rollerball pens felt scratchy on this paper.

Rollerball Pens:

In the same collection with the Graphed Journal is this pack of Quick Dry Gel Pens in 0.7mm. The pens are green, teal, purple, red and orange.

These gel pens work okay but definitely aren’t the best gel pens I’ve ever used. They did okay in the graphed journal but skipped when used in my hobonichi.

Overall, I had hoped I would enjoy this notebook since I liked the TRU RED Starter Journal I reviewed last week but this paper is only good for ballpoints, gel pens and pencils. I didn’t enjoy the paper because it’s so absorbent and made all pens feel dry and scratchy.

Disclaimer: Both products were provided by TRU RED for the purpose of this review. All photos and opinions are my own. This post does not contain affiliate links and is not sponsored in any way.

Ink Review #1484: Colorverse 003 Deep Purple

Colorverse 003 Deep Purple is from the Project collection and comes in 65ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Deep Purple is a medium aubergine purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some interesting shading and sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 15 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Medium

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: low shading, low bronze sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Deep Purple is similar to Krishna Sea & Storm. Click here to see the Colorverse inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Violet with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, this is a nice purple ink-it dries quickly and has a little bit of shading and sheen, but there is a bit more feathering and bleeding than I like to see. I could go either way on this one-it performs well on nicer papers but not all of them and the color isn’t unique enough for me to prefer it over others that perform better.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1483: Van Dieman's Spotted Sun Orchid

Van Dieman’s Spotted Sun Orchid is from the Wilderness series and comes in 30ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (aff. link) or Vanness Pens.

The color:

Spotted Sun Orchid is a medium purple haze.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks moody and interesting.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 60 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: low shading, no sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes but only a few dots of bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Spotted Sun Orchid is closest to Robert Oster Purple Jazz. Click here to see the Van Dieman’s inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Lamy Safari Violet with a medium nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had an average flow.

Overall, I love the color of this ink and it’s generally well behaved, they only thing I don’t love is the dry time. 60 seconds is a rather long dry time but other than that it’s a good ink.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1482: Kyo-no-oto 09 Keshimurasaki

Kyo-no-oto 09 Keshimurasaki. It’s available in 40 ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Keshimurasaki is a pale purple-grey.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink has some pretty shading.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Low

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: medium shading, tiny grey sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering in all nib sizes but no bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Keshimurasaki is a lighter than Diamine Vivaldi. Click here to see the Kyoto inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used a Sailor Pro Gear Slim Purple Cosmos with a zoom nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a dry flow.

Overall, it’s a lovely purple-grey ink but the flow is very dry. I added a drop of White Lightning (ink additive) to it after doing all the writing samples for this review and liked it much better that way.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Ink Review #1481: Kobe 09 Suma Purple

We are kicking off Purple Ink Week (two days late…) with Kobe 09 Suma Purple from Kobe’s standard collection. It’s available in 50 ml bottles. You can find this ink for sale at Vanness Pens.

The color:

Suma Purple is a deep, unsaturated aubergine purple.

Swabs:

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper the ink looks very different than it does on the Col-o-ring swab above. It’s more blue with some sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry time: 30 seconds

Water resistance: Medium

Feathering: Low

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: Low

Other properties: low shading, low bronze sheen, and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was feathering and bleeding in all nib sizes.

Comparison Swabs:

Suma Purple is more red than most of these other purple inks. Click here to see the Kobe inks together, and click here to see the purple inks together.

Longer writing:

I used an Esterbrook Estie Lilac with a broad nib on a Taroko Enigma notebook. The ink had a wet flow.

Overall, this is a lovely dark purple ink. It has a nice wet flow but it has a little more feathering and bleeding than I prefer. It’s a good ink, but not a must-have for me.

Disclaimer: All photos and opinions are my own. This page does not contain affiliate links and this post is not sponsored.

Colorverse Hippocamp & Comet SL9

Colorverse Hippocamp & Comet SL9 are from the new Colorverse Season 7: Eye on the Universe. Hippocamp comes in a 65ml bottle and Comet SL9 comes in a 15ml bottle. You can find this ink for sale at Pen Chalet (they still have some in stock right now!)

Swabs:

Left to right: Hippocamp is a medium sky blue and Comet SL9 is a light tawny brown.

In large swabs on Tomoe River paper both inks have shading but no sheen.

Writing samples:

Let's take a look at how the ink behaves on fountain pen friendly papers: Rhodia, Tomoe River, and Leuchtturm.

Dry Time: 30-40 seconds

Water Resistance: Low-Medium

Feathering: None

Show through: Medium

Bleeding: None

Other properties: high shading (both), no sheen and no shimmer.

On Staples 24 lb copy paper there was lots of feathering in every nib size as well as some bleeding.

Comparison Swabs:

Hippocamp is lighter than Noodler’s Revolution Blue, but has a similar matte finish.

Comet SL9 is a little darker than Colorverse Brunch Date.

Longer Writing:

Hippocamp: I used a Pilot VP Twilight with a broad nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Comet SL9: I used a Lamy Al-star Bronze with a medium nib on a Taroko Odyssey Notebook (Cosmo Air Light paper). The ink had an average flow.

Overall, out of the two Hippocamp is my favorite. The color is lovely, but both have high shading and can be a little too light for me in smaller nib sizes so I plan on sticking to the larger nibs. So far these two are my least favorite from Colorverse Season 7, they just aren’t as amazing as the others.

Disclaimer: I purchased these inks myself and all photos and opinions are my own. This page does contain affiliate links but this post is not sponsored in any way.